Electrically wired table cover and pad



Feb. 13, 1940. VQLLMER 2,190,225

ELECTRICALLY WIRED TABLE'COVER AND PAD Filed June 21, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 An N m H "g;

| I I I 1 1 INVENTOR.

Elmer- D. Vollma-r- ATTORNEY.

Feb. 13, 1940. VQLLMER 2,190,225

ELECTRICALLY WIRED TABLE COVER AND PAD Filed June 21, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E] fll? INVENTOR. Elmer D Vol mar- A TTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlQE Elmer D. Vollmer, Cleveland, Ohio Application June 21, 1939, Serial No. 280,335

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel table cover or pad, and more particularly to an electrically wired table cover or pad.

It is one object of the present invention to pro- 5 vide a table cover or pad having the above characteristics which shall be foldable so as to present a compact configuration for storing.

Another object is the provision of novel electric connections which permit of folding and dis- 10 connecting the various component parts of the present electrically wired table cover.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of novel sockets for effectuating the connection between the electrically 15 wired table cover and various electrical appliances such as table lamps, electric toasters, and receptacles in which foodstuffs may be kept Warm.

A still further object of the present invention 20 resides in the novel construction and insulation of the table cover and the associated parts.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description particularly when taken in conjunc- 25 tion with the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and wherein like reference characters refer to like parts. It will be understood that the drawings are not a definition of the invention but merely illustrateforms by means of which the invention may be effectuated. It will also be understood that certain modifications, changes, alterations, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made in the construction here illustrated without departing from the spirit and 35 scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional plan view of the present invention showing the general arrangement of the component parts and the 40 associated wiring,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of one member of an electrical spring contact employed at the folding points of the several sections,

45 Figure 2a is a longitudinal view, partly in section of a member which cooperates with the member illustrated in Figure 2,

Figures 3 and 4 are side and front views, respectively, of a flanged sleeve member which is 50 employed in connection with the electrical spring contacts,

Figure 5 is an end elevational View of a portion of one form of socket employed in the present invention, two of these portions going to make 55 up a complete unit,

Figures 6 and 7 are plan and side views, respectively, of the socket portion shown in Figure 5,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of one member of an electrical spring contact employed to connect the several sections in 5, abutting relation,

Figure 8a is a longitudinal View, partly in section, of a member which cooperates with the member shown in Figure 8,

Figure 9 is a side view of a connecting means 1 which is adapted to receive an electric cord,

Figures 10 and ll depict a vertical sectional view and a top plan View, respectively, of a connecting means which is adapted to be fastened into the base of small lamps and so forth,

Figures 12 and 13 show a vertical sectional View and a top plan view, respectively, of a connecting means which is adapted to be plugged into the bottom of various appliances,

Figure 14 is a side elevational View of a novel prong portion employed in connection with the connecting means illustrated in Figures 12 and Figure 15 is a front View of Figure 14,

Figure 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the construction of the table cover, and

Figure 1'7 shows the adaptability of an electric table lamp to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the table cover in the present invention comprises two sections 20 and 2| which may be folded any number of times to form a compact bundle for storing purposes. By referring to Figure 16, it will be noted that the construction of these sections 20 and 2| comprises a finishing material top 32, a cardboard sheet 33, asbestos sheet 34, corrugated paper box board 35, another cardboard sheet 36, and a finishing material bottom 31.

These two sections 26 and 2| are connected one to the other in electric exchanging relation 40 by means of insulated elements 22 and 23, the former of which encloses a spring actuated plunger 24 having integrally formed thereon a tip portion 24 which is adapted to engage recess 23' formed in member 23 when the two sections 2|) and 2| are brought into abutting relation. Any number of these members 22 and 23 may be provided along the adjacent abutting edges of the sections 20 and 2| to form a suitable connection therebetween and other suitable means, such as hooks and eyes 12, may be employed to positively maintain sections 20 and. 2| in fixed abutting relation.

As above stated, portions 20 and 2| are adapted to be folded any number of times to form a compact bundle for storing purposes. Therefore, it is necessary to provide means for preventing the wiring, which runs through the table cover, and which will later be described, from becoming broken due to continuous bending incident to the folding and unfolding of the table cover. For this purpose I provide members 25 and 2S which are similar to members 22 and 23 with the exceptions that the tip portion 25 is shorter, and to preclude binding when folding or unfolding either of the two sections and 2|, the

recess 23 formed in member 23 is replaced by,

a solid contact 26 in member 26.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a flanged sleeve member 21 which is adapted to be slid over the ends of members 22, 23, and 26, to bind the material along the adjacent edges of the sections 20 and 2|, and to present clear contacts.

Sockets 28 are positioned in suitable spaced relation within the confines of the upper and lowersurfaces 30 and 3!, respectively, of the table cover so as to present a flush upper and lower surface. Figure 6 shows a terminal of one of these sockets before being installed, and Figure 5 shows the form taken by the same terminal after the pad has been assembled, flanges 29 being turned down to engage the top of the asbestos material 34 to present a rigid, flush socket arrangement, which by the superimposition of materials 32 and 33 over flanges 29 of sockets will result in the countersinking of sockets fit to obviate any unintentional contact therewith such as by a knife or fork laying on the table cloth or in the hand of a user.

Member Ml, which is adapted to be affixed to the base of small lamps and so forth, is formed with two recesses ii into which wiring from the lamps are soldered so as to establish communication with contact pins 42, pins &2 are then stuck through the table cloth into sockets 255 to complete the circuit.

For the purpose of connecting various appliances such as a percolator, toaster, or waf le iron, member 36, provided with a resilient bifurcated portion 4! at one end and a threaded portion 48 at the other, is attached to such appliance by any suitable means, as by binding nuts and insulating washers. These members are adapted to be received by recesses 44 of member 13, and pins 35 communicate with said recesses so that when pins are connected into sockets 28 an electrical circuit is completed.

While the present invention can obviously be Wired in series or in parallel, Figure 1 shows the wiring in parallel witha source of electricity l0 entering master plug H. Therefore, if one of the electrical appliances is withdrawn from the sockets 28, the flow of current to the other sockets will not be interrupted.

The office of the corrugated paper box board 35 in the table cover is twofold, firstly to maintain in spaced cushioned relation the top surface of the table cover from the bottom surface so that the heat liberated from the various electrical appliances will be dissipated before reaching the surface of the table on which the cover is disposed, and secondly to maintain in suspended relation the insulated wiring which is connected to the various sockets28 and spring contacts 22, 23, 25, 25 and member H.

While the present invention has been described in connection with two sections 20 and 2|, it will be understood that any number of sections may be employed of any configuration.

It will also be understood that if it is desired, corrugation of greater strength and lineal rigidity may be substituted for the corrugated paper box board it and also that other materials may be substituted for the materials employed in the foregoing description without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electrically wired table cover comprising a plurality of sections foldably connected, electric terminals in said sections, conducting means normally connecting said terminals when said sections are unfolded, and means operated by folding of said sections for rendering said conducting means inoperative and by unfolding of said sections to render said conducting means operative to connect said terminals.

2. A cover as claimed in claim 1 in which said last means comprise spring actuated electricconnecting means.

3. A table cover as claimed in claim 1 in which said electric terminals are substantially confined bythe upper and lower surfaces of said sections, whereby said cover presents a flush upper surface.

4. A table cover as claimed in claim 1 in which said last means comprises a spring actuated plunger confined between the upper and lower surfaces of one of said sections, and a conducting member confined between the upper and lower surfaces of another section in such position as to be engaged by said plunger when said sections are unfolded.

5. A cover as claimed in claim 1 in which said last means are disposed along the folding line between the sections and within the confines of the upper and lower surfaces of the sections.

' ELMER D. VOLLMER. 

